C mallinson



N0. 624,5l5. Patented May 9; I899.

C, MALLINSON.

GRAIN DRIER.

(Application filed Feb. 15, 1899.) (No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

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I VEQEIY. I

Patented May 9, I899. c. MALLINSUN.

GRAIN DRIER.

(Application filed Feb. 16, 1899,)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2..

(No Model.)

Wt Biases n4: NORRIS PETERS c0, PNQTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. or c. 1

No. 624,5l5.

c. MA'LLINSON.

G RA l N D B I E R.

(Application filed Feb. 15, 1899.)

Patented may 9, I899.

(No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet 3.

Wig" E 55 E 5 NlTED STATES CHARLES MALLINSON, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

GRAIN-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,515, dated. May 9, 1899.

Application filed February 15, 1899. Serial No. 705,562. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/:

Be it known that I, CHARLES MALLINsoN, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, re-

siding at Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for (Jonditioning Grain and other Granular or Pulverulent Material, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for conditioning grain, berries, sugar, seeds, crystals, and granular or 'pulverulent material generally, in which the produce or other material after being washed, drained, or otherwise treated is placed and is subjected to a current of hot dryair, (or first to a current of hot air and then to a current of cold air subsequently,) which dries or conditions it in the manner required. It is even applicable for drying brewers grains for cattle-feeding purposes.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, of an apparatus constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2, a plan of the top; Fig. 3, a cross-section through as y; and Fig. 4, a detail view ofa device for turning the grain or other material over; Fig. 5, a detail view of a modified form of apparatus, and Fig. 6 a plan of a portion of the worm and its supports.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, my apparatus, which is arranged upright, comprises a rotary chamber or cylinder A, perforated with holes a. (Shown best in the sectional portion of Fig. 1.) A constant pressure of bothhot and cold air is fed to and kept up in the interior of this rotary chamber, the diameter and height of which are regulated by the amount of work required to be done. Surrounding the rotary chamber A is an annular casing B, with a space between to allow of a worm O, hereinafter described, being fixed to and around the exterior of the chamber A, thiscasing 13 being also perforated with holes or ventilators D, so that air can pass through the perforations a of the cylinder A, then through the grain or other material which is being elevated by the worm, and finally escape, when its drying action is completed, through the perforationsD-in the casingB, along exhausttrunk D, and so out through an orifice at the top thereof or elsewhere.

The worm aforesaid, which is placed or laid around the rotary cylinder, is a continuous worm, blade, or spiral and ascends gradually from the bottom of the rotary cylinder to the top and is so arranged as to gradually elevate or lift the wet grain or other material upward from the supply E at the bottom and deliver it through an orifice F at the top in a dried and cooled condition. The rotary chamber, furthermore, may, if desired, be subdivided by a diaphragm or diaph ragms G,which are provided with valves H. These valves H have apertures h corresponding with aperture gin the fixed diaphragms G and are operated, by means of racks and pinions I J, from the outside by hand-wheels K. The chamber A has also a central channel L, conveying cold air through perforations Z to the upper subdivision or divisions of the rotary cylinder A, hot air in such case being fed into the other subdivisions by a separatechannel or channels M.

N is the inlet for cold air. It must be understood that cold air only or hot air only or any mixture of these can be admitted to the cylinder.

O is a circular pan or bottom onto which the material to be dried is fed by the feed spout E. This pan has openings for the hot and cold air and is caused to rotate in a di= rection opposite to that of the cylinder A by gearing P P, we wheel P of which is fixed to the hollow spindle Q of the pan, such spindle surrounding the central shaft A, and R is a worm or spiral which is free to turn on its axis r, and is placed at intervals between the worm to mix up or turn the material to better expose it to the drying action of the air.

The mode of working is as follows: The rotary chamber A is set in motion by bevel-gear or its equivalent, so that its worm, blades, or spirals O, which pass aroundit many times from bottom to top, will scoop up the material out of the pan 0 and feed it slowly and continuously from the bottom to the top of the apparatus. Afan or its equivalent draws or forces a current of hot air through the channels M, arranged underneath the vertlcal rotary chamber, and so through the perforations a and directly into and through the stream of produce or material,and out through the ventilators or perforations D in the casing 13, being finally discharged outside the building. The lower edge of each perforation or slot D is provided with a sloping projecting lip or shelf d, inclined upward and outward in such manner as not to interfere with the blades, each lip or shelf being at its extremity of greater depth than the depth of the perfora- Lion in the casing, whereby the grain or other material is prevented escaping through the perforations,while forming no obstacles to the free current of air. At the same time a current of cold air is being fed through N and L into the upper divisions in the rotary cylinder for the purpose of having a supply of cool or cold air as well as of hot, this cold or cool air passing through perforations into the upper part of the apparatus, and so through the ascending stream of grain or other material, and out through the ventilators in the casing. Furthermore, I can regulate the temperature of the air at every portion of the travel of the grain or other substance either by regulating the valves H in the diaphragms G or by regulating the supply of hot and cold air, respectively. By this means, therefore, I can admit cold air through the ascending stream of material at the top of the apparatus for the purpose of cooling the grain after being dried be fore it passes out. The grain or other material will be elevated vertically upward by the rotary chamber and worm-that is to say, it

will probably not have a rotary movement the same as the chamber and worm have, but its travel will be confi ned to a vertical movement directly upward. This being the case, it will be desirable, as before described, to provide the rotary chamber midway between the blades of the Worm and at intervals apart with a series of projecting paddles, plows, worms R, or their equivalent so arranged as to disturb the stream of material as it ascends from the bottom to the top .in order that they may mix or turn the material and better'expose it to the drying action of the air.

The feed,which consists,as before described, of a circular pan or tapered casing, is kept constantly full by the feeding spout or spouts E, or otherwise, and is so arranged that the point or end of the worm shall continuously bite or take up the material as it revolves in a direction opposite to that ofthe rotary cylinder A.

The worm or spiral around the cylinder may be perforated to allow the hot dry air entering from the cylinder to pass upward through the material lying on the traveling spiral and then be driven out at right angles by the cross-current from the cylinder, and also to allow the cold air as it enters the material from the cylinder to likewise pass up through the material and be driven out in like manner by a crosscurrent. The perforations in the cylinder-casing and worm may be arranged and formed so as to give every facility to the passage of air, and they do not lie lengthwise with the travel of the material, but are arranged to lie at right angles thereto.

In thus describing my invention I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the exact arrangements described; also, that the arrangement for admitting cold or cool air can be dispensed with, if desired, the hot-dry-air supply being used only in such case and the produce cooled bya subsequent process.

I declare that what I claim is 1. In an apparatus for conditioning grain and other granular or pulverulent material the combination of a rotary cylinder perforated and having internal divisions for the admission of hot or cold air or both a fixed casing surrounding such cylinder, a worm or spiral blade fixed t0 the cylinder and moving in the annular space between the cylinder and the fixed casing substantially as set forth.

2. An apparatus for conditioning grain and other granular or pulverulent material consisting of a rotary perforated cylinder carrying a worm or spiral blade and having inter nal divisions or compartments to admit hot or cold air separately or a mixture of these, in combination with a fixed casing having apertures communicating with an exhaust-pas sage and the means for preventing the escape of the material being treated through. the

aforesaid apertures.

3. The combination with a rotary perforated cylinder having a spiral blade fixed on its periphery and internal divisions open to a hot and cold air supply and a fixed casing surrounding the cylinder, of a circular pan or bottom adapted to rotate in a direction opposite to that of the rotary cylinder and to receive the material to be dried or conditioned from which it is taken up by the revolving worm or spiral blade as set forth.

4. The combination with a rotary cylinder A having a'spiral blade or worm C an outer casing B surrounding the cylinder A and means for heating the latter, of a series of worms or paddles free to rotate on spindles fixed on the outer surface of the cylinder and in the path of the ascending grain or other material whereby such material is turned over or separated as set forth.

5. The cylinder A having a central passage L for the passage of cold air, diaphragms G dividing the hot-air space into compartments, valves H and' the means whereby they are operated so that the air passing through the per forations a in the cylinder A can be regulated to any desired temperature in combination vIOQ -s24,515 Y a A with spiral blade 0, rotating pan '0 fixed casing B paddles or worms R and the arrangement of air-passages M and N as set forth.

6. In an apparatus for conditioning grain and other granular or pulverulent material, the combination of an inner rotary perforate cylinder; a fixed outer casing; aworm or spiral blade intermediate the two; a rotary pan 0 extending beneath said parts; and means for rotating the pan in opposition to the screw.

'7. In an apparatus for conditioning grain and thelike, the combination of an inner per- WVitnesses:

' G. C. DYMOND,

W. H. BEESTON. 

